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Security report for ebi.ac.uk

European Bioinformatics Institute · Healthcare · United Kingdom

Partial score · DNS & email only

40/100

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is a leading European research organization specializing in bioinformatics and life sciences data services. It operates as part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and provides open access to biological data, research, training, and submission services to the scientific community. The website reflects a professional and well-branded presence targeting researchers and scientists in healthcare and bioinformatics sectors. Technically, the site uses Apache server technology, modern JavaScript frameworks like Alpine.js, and a custom Visual Framework for UI components. Google Analytics is employed for user tracking. However, performance metrics are missing, and the site shows slow loading characteristics. Mobile optimization and accessibility are good, with clear navigation and SEO meta tags. Security posture is weak due to the absence of a valid SSL certificate and lack of HTTPS enforcement, despite the presence of several security headers. No HSTS or OCSP stapling is configured, and no vulnerability disclosure or security policy pages are found. Privacy compliance is minimal, with no visible privacy or cookie policies, which impacts GDPR compliance. Overall, the site is trustworthy and professionally maintained but requires urgent improvements in SSL/TLS configuration and privacy compliance to enhance security and user trust.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of ebi.ac.uk. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
0/ 100 · Critical
Checks completed
6of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

6 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • Critical

      No HTTPS encryption

      GDPR requires appropriate security measures for personal data

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate for HTTPS

    • High

      No Privacy Policy found

      GDPR requires a clear and accessible privacy policy

      What to do: Add a comprehensive privacy policy page and link to it prominently

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

  2. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • Critical

      No HTTPS Encryption

      Website does not use HTTPS encryption, making all data transmission vulnerable to interception

      What to do: Implement SSL/TLS certificate and redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
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  • Security headers
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  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
0
Email security
50
DNS health
50
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
0
Average
40

Not counted

  • Security headers: did not complete in this scan.
  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

EMBL-EBI holds a strong market position as a premier bioinformatics research institute in Europe, supported by its parent organization EMBL. Its business model focuses on providing open data resources, research services, and training to the scientific community. The target audience includes researchers, academic institutions, and biotech companies. The organization benefits from a well-established reputation, consistent branding, and a comprehensive service portfolio. Partnerships with EMBL and related scientific bodies strengthen its ecosystem. Revenue streams likely include government and research funding rather than commercial sales. The website supports this positioning with clear service links and scientific content.

Security posture

The current security maturity is low due to the lack of a valid SSL certificate and HTTPS support, which is a critical vulnerability. While some security headers are implemented, the absence of HSTS, OCSP stapling, and session resumption reduces protection against common web attacks. No incident response or vulnerability disclosure mechanisms are publicly available, indicating gaps in security governance. Data protection practices are unclear, and GDPR compliance is not demonstrated on the site. The use of Google Analytics introduces moderate user tracking without visible consent mechanisms. Overall, the security posture requires significant enhancement to meet modern standards and regulatory requirements.

Recommendations

  1. Obtain and deploy a valid SSL/TLS certificate to enable HTTPS across the entire site.
  2. Implement HSTS with includeSubDomains and preload directives to enforce secure connections.
  3. Publish clear privacy and cookie policies with GDPR compliance statements and consent mechanisms.
  4. Establish and publicize a security policy and vulnerability disclosure page to improve transparency and incident response readiness.
  5. Review and enhance security headers and enable OCSP stapling and session resumption for improved security and performance.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
European Bioinformatics Institute
Technical notes

Notes

The website infrastructure is based on Apache server technology with a modern front-end stack including Alpine.js and a custom Visual Framework for UI consistency. Google Analytics is integrated for visitor tracking. The site lacks performance data but shows no broken elements and good mobile responsiveness. SEO is well addressed with comprehensive meta tags and structured data in JSON-LD format. However, the absence of a valid SSL certificate and HTTPS support is a major technical risk. The DNS records are minimal with no DNSSEC or CAA records, which could be improved for enhanced domain security. Overall, the technical implementation is solid but requires modernization in security protocols and performance optimization.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 76/100Low29 findingsView report
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